[DRAGON ESSENCE ABSORPTION: 99.2% COMPLETE]
[ESTIMATED TIME REMAINING: 47 MINUTES]
Cang Wuhen's eyes flicked to the system notification hovering in his peripheral vision, barely registering it as anything other than confirmation of what he already felt.
The dragon's power was nearly depleted. What remained of Tianlong's fifty-thousand-year cultivation was now flowing through him and Lianhua in an endless cycle, refining with each pass, integrating into their very cells.
But how long had it actually been?
He lay on his back now, positioned at the edge of the spiritual lake, black liquid lapping gently at the stone mere inches from his head. The surface reflected something that made him pause—
Sunlight.
Golden dawn light was filtering down through the crack in the cave ceiling, painting everything in warm amber tones.
When had night become day?
